Like you, I’ve been pretty bummed about what’s happening to our friends and neighbors in Eastern Europe. The nightmare happening in real time reminds me of George Orwell‘s warning: “Don’t let it happen – it depends on you.” We’re failing both our ancestors and our progeny as the world descends further into nightmarish dystopia.
“But wait, you’ve written dystopian scifi!” you’ll point out and yes, that’s true. Conspiraco was a twist on dystopian science fiction because I thought it’d be fun to imagine what people will do when things are going TOO well. But the idea of writing dystopian, or post-apocalyptic scifi? Right now that seems to be the exact opposite of what the world needs.
Let’s say it again for the people in the back – Dystopia will not be fun, everyone you care about will be gone, and you will not survive the end of the world. Further, I’ll repeat: this isn’t about politics – this is about my responsibility as a storyteller. The last twenty years of dystopian fiction may have some responsibility to bear in terms of how people perceive mass insurrections, popular uprisings. Would you, would I, want to be responsible for helping people think it’s okay to put themselves in harm’s way? You already know the answer to that question.
History, they say, is the diary of a madman. Learning how people rationalized the exploitation of some, the mass murder of many, and the death of all life on earth leaves you with sobering lessons. It requires something of us. Humanity’s blood-soaked history demands more than simply honor, it demands that we learn the lesson. War isn’t ‘fun,’ it’s a horror! Racism, classism, tribalism are symptoms of a terminal disease that ends with the death-rattle of the last human animal, alone and in pain, before they close their eyes forever.
To continue this discussion, take a look at the following two videos posted today to Reddit. I watch this and know that I’m not the only one horrified at what we’re doing to ourselves:
It is nothing short of horrifying to contemplate what we’re becoming as a species. Some think the only answer is to become an activist, get into politics but the reality is that it’s really up to you. We’re all just people, aren’t we? Don’t we want to live in a safe world? Don’t let it happen – it depends on you.
